How we can help...

COMPASSION, communication and caring for people during their low moments are critical. Listen with sincerity. Don’t brush off their complaints. Communication is vital for the well-being of children and youths as it helps to build their mental strength and emotional resilience to prepare them for adulthood and worklife. Sadly, suicidal youths are often viewed as weak, pampered and unable to handle school or work pressures. Parents and teachers are sometimes to blame for instilling the ‘must not fail’ mentality and the stigma associated with ‘lost’ opportunities resulting from grades that aren’t good enough. A girl I once worked with had shared the issues troubling her and how, when she told her parents about them, they brushed her off and told her to move on. They lost her to suicide, which was heart-wrenching. If youths suddenly lose interest in things they enjoy, start isolating themselves, and become quieter, it is a cry for help.Validate their strengths no matter how insignificant it may seem. Spend quality time together. Empathy is especially important, not sympathy. Seek professional help. In times of crisis, youths need empathy and a listening ear. Do not give advice, do not say ‘you will be okay’ and ‘I understand’ because no one truly understands the pain and suffering of another. Never put them down for being ‘weak’. — Child therapist Priscilla Ho